The Girl Who Wrote The Dating Manual

chapter sixteen

Do you ever get that feeling when you suddenly rediscover that journal you wrote when you were eleven, that, in hindsight, is totally mortifying and cringe-worthy, but just reading the pages makes you feel nostalgic? You remember those events, and it’s like you’re reliving it all over again.

            That was pretty much me as I stepped off of the plane and made it onto the safe tarmac of the runway. Chance was three steps behind me, and, when he fell into step beside me and followed me into the air-conditioned airport, I turned to see he had turned a garish shade of green. “You okay?”

            “Do planes normally rock that much?” he asked, looking extremely woozy. “Because I’m pretty sure a plane shouldn’t rock that much at seventy-thousand feet in the air.”

            “It’s just turbulence, Chance,” I said, laughing and grabbing his hand as we navigated towards baggage claim. “And you’re on the ground now. You made it.”

            “I don’t like planes. I’m never flying on one again,” he decided resolutely, nodding his head.

            “I’ll tell that to the plane we have to board in three days’ time,” I promised him, causing him to grimace. We found our way to the conveyor belt, and I watched as different colored luggage moved across the black rubber.

            “So, excited to be back home?”

            I shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s weird. I mean, I grew up here and I haven’t been back in years, but this place doesn’t exactly have the best memories for me, you know? All I remember are screaming matches and tears. There were good memories, like the high school cheerleading team and my friends, but it just doesn’t feel like home somehow.”

            “Yeah? And what does?”

            “Hamilton,” I told him. I’d never thought about it before, but as soon as the words left my lips I knew they were true. “Hamilton feels like home. Honestly, you and Ava and Jamie are my family, and—”

            That was when I noticed that Chance had visibly tensed, and a look of uneasiness flickered across his face. “Hey, you okay?” I asked, nudging him gently.

He shook his head and forced a smile, but I could see the terse look in his eyes. “Huh? Oh, yeah, I’m fine.”

            “Seriously, Chance, what’s up? Was it something I said?” I asked.

            He reached out suddenly and grabbed a pink duffel bag as it tumbled past down the conveyor belt. He handed it to me and then turned back, before making a quick dart for his green duffel. Then he turned around and wrapped an arm around my shoulder, pulling us away from the section and towards the entrance.

            “Are we just gonna ignore that freeze-up back there?” I asked, turning to look at him as I lugged the case behind me.